Minority News Releases
Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) REAX On The Bipartisan Budget Deal
The consequences of the Budget Control Act sequestration cuts since 2011 have been devastating and will last a generation. Its impact on military readiness led Defense Secretary Mattis to say that no enemy on the field has done more to harm our military than sequestration. By not investing in our domestic priorities, we allowed our infrastructure to crumble, care to our veterans to be delayed, and investments in education to fall behind. This bipartisan budget deal is the first step toward pr… Continue Reading
01.30.18
Statement Of Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On The Need For A Bipartisan Agreement
The Fiscal Year began on October 1st of last year. Four months have passed-122 days-since the start of the Fiscal Year, and we still do not have a budget deal that will allow us to finish the FY 2018 Appropriations bills. Recently, President Trump has taken to Twitter accusing Democrats of holding up funding for our troops. The idea that Democrats are holding up defense spending does not pass the laugh test. Last July-nearly seven months ago-I called for bipartisan budget negotiations. I pu… Continue Reading
01.21.18
Leahy Statement On The Need For A Bipartisan Agreement
There is only one person who wanted a government shutdown, and he got exactly what he wanted. It was President Trump who said the country could "use a good shutdown." It was President Trump who said a shutdown would be "good" for him politically. It was President Trump who tweeted yesterday that the shutdown was a "nice present" to himself. This is shameful. People are suffering under the Trump Shutdown and the leader of the country is only thinking of himself. In fact, between rubbing shou… Continue Reading
01.20.18
Statement Of Senate Appropriations Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On The Trump Shutdown
Mr. President, months ago, President Donald Trump called for a government shutdown, and through his leadership of chaos and his inability to govern or keep his word, he got exactly what he wanted. Make no mistake, it is the Majority's responsibility to produce a bill to send to the President. If they cannot get 60 votes because they refuse to negotiate with Democrats, that is THEIR responsibility. All they needed was nine Democrats, and they could not get it done - in fact they lost four of … Continue Reading
01.18.18
Senate Appropriations Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Statement Opposing The Fourth Continuing Resolution
Mr. President, here we go again. In 1995, Republicans shut down our government - seeking to recklessly cut education programs and environmental programs and raise Medicare premiums on millions of senior citizens. In 2013, Republicans once again sought to strip the health care of millions of Americans by shutting down the government in a failed effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act. An effort they continued this summer instead of negotiating a bipartisan budget deal that could have averte… Continue Reading
01.10.18
Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Statement On Budget Negotiations
Just last week we began the Second Session of the 115th Congress. It is 2018 and we should be talking about what we can accomplish for the American people in the New Year. Instead, we face a long list of unfinished business from 2017, and a very short window in which to get it done. We are four months into Fiscal Year 2018, and we still do not have a budget deal. Our agencies are operating under last year's funding levels with little flexibility to adjust for the problems of today. We stil… Continue Reading
12.21.17
Statement of Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) On Supporting The Continuing Resolution
Governing by crisis must come to an end. Since March, I have been calling for a bipartisan budget deal, based on parity, that would pave a path toward responsibly funding the government and averting this 11th hour Republican shutdown crisis. I have not lost faith that such a deal can still be reached. So, tonight I voted "aye" on the Continuing Resolution to keep the government open into January. A government shutdown helps no one. This will allow us one more month to reach a bipartisan b… Continue Reading
12.21.17
Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Statement On A Continuing Resolution Through January 19, 2018
Mr. President, this is not how we should govern in the United States Senate. We have once again found ourselves on the edge of a manufactured, made-in-Washington crisis. Once again, we are forced into political games at the 11th hour by the imminent threat of a Republican shutdown. This time that threat has fallen right before Christmas and the holidays. There is no reason we should find ourselves in this situation. There has always been a proven path forward to avoid this crisis, and tha… Continue Reading
12.13.17
Why Budget Parity Matters: The Need For Investing Equally In Our Military And Our Communities
Democrats and Republicans agree that we must fully fund and support our military. But our military readiness is being hampered by artificial and unrealistically low caps on defense spending, as a result of the Budget Control Act (BCA) of 2011, and that law's required spending cuts known as "sequestration." In July, Defense Secretary Mattis testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee that "for all the heartache caused by the loss of our troops during these wars, no enemy in the field h… Continue Reading
12.07.17
Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Statement On A Continuing Resolution Through December 22, 2017
The current spending caps set in place by law will not responsibly fund the government or alleviate the consequences of sequestration on our domestic priorities or our military readiness. Since March, I have constantly repeated that we must reach a bipartisan budget deal that is based on parity, free of poison pill riders and not waste taxpayer dollars on President Trump's useless border wall. But with the current continuing resolution expiring tomorrow, we are running out of time to reach an a… Continue Reading
12.05.17
Appropriations Vice Chairman Leahy Statement At Subcommittee Hearing On Addressing The Opioid Crisis In America: Prevention, Treatment & Recovery
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Here's a startling statistic: last year alone, drug overdoses claimed the lives of 64,000 people. This is the latest figure in a shocking rise in overdose deaths, driven by the opioid epidemic that has hit every corner of our country, and plagues every community. This is a public health crisis. We need to start treating it like one. We need to allocate every necessary resource to finally - and meaningfully - confront it. Vermont has made tremendous strides by l… Continue Reading
11.21.17
Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Leahy Calls On Congress For Bipartisan Budget Deal
WASHINGTON (TUESDAY, Nov. 21, 2017) - Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Tuesday renewed his call for a bipartisan budget deal that would allow for real investments in the American people. Leahy said: "With just 17 days until the current continuing resolution expires and the threat of sequestration looming in January, our toughest path remains ahead. We must come together to reach a bipartisan budget deal that allows for an increase in both defense AND non-defe… Continue Reading
11.21.17
DURBIN, LEAHY STATEMENT ON FY18 DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS CHAIRMAN’S MARK
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), vice chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, and U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), vice chairman of the Appropriations Committee, released the following statement on the release of the Fiscal Year 2018 Defense Appropriations Act. The bill exceeds President Trump's request by $15.3 billion, and exceeds the sequestration caps by $70 billion. This is a step forward, though we remain deeply concerned about the process. So befo… Continue Reading
11.21.17
Leahy Slams Border Wall Funding As “Bumper Sticker Budgeting”
WASHINGTON (TUESDAY, Nov. 21, 2017) - Slamming the proposal as "bumper sticker budgeting," Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Tuesday focused on a provision in the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill that would provide $1.6 billion from American taxpayers for President Trump's border wall with Mexico. Leahy said: "This is bumper sticker budgeting to save face for one of President Trump's failed campaign promises. Instead of wasting billions of… Continue Reading
11.21.17
SUMMARY: FY 2018 Department Of Homeland Security Chairman's Mark Released
Washington, D.C. (Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2017) - The Senate Appropriations Committee Tuesday made public the Chairman's Mark of the fiscal year 2018 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill. The bill provides a total discretionary appropriation of $51.565 billion. The net discretionary total is $44.050 billion after the following amounts are excluded: $559 million in emergency appropriations for disaster relief; cap adjustment funding of $6.793 billion for disaster relief; and $163 milli… Continue Reading
11.20.17
SUMMARY: FY2018 Financial Services & General Government Appropriations Chairman's Mark Released
WASHINGTON (Monday, November 20, 2017) - Today the Senate Appropriations Committee made public the Chairman's Mark of the fiscal year 2018 Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) Appropriations bill. The bill provides a total of $21.035 billion, including $159 million in disaster funds. This funding level is $480 million less than the fiscal year 2017 enacted level and nearly $2 billion less than the fiscal year 2018 President's request. U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), Ranking Me… Continue Reading
11.20.17
SUMMARY: FY2018 Interior, Environment Appropriations Chairman's Mark Released
WASHINGTON (Monday, November 20, 2017) - The Senate Appropriations Committee Monday made public the Chairman's Mark for the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Fiscal Year 2018 Appropriations Bill. The Senate bill recommends $32.536 billion in discretionary funding for agencies funded by the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies bill, which includes $32.030 billion in discretionary funds and $507 million in emergency funds to pay for wildland firefighting needs. Excluding emerge… Continue Reading
11.17.17
Appropriations Vice Chairman Leahy REAX To Third Emergency Supplemental Request --
[WASHINGTON (FRIDAY, Nov. 17, 2017) -- Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Friday issued the following statement on the Trump Administration's emergency supplemental request, totaling $44 billion, to address recent natural disasters. Earlier this month, Leahy and Senator Schumer led a letter outlining what Senate Democrats believe should be contained in the supplemental request.] The Trump Administration's request does not come close to meeting the needs of vic… Continue Reading
11.15.17
Appropriations Vice Chairman Leahy Statement At Hearing On VA Efforts To Prevent And Combat Opioid Over Medication
The opioid epidemic has reached every state - every community - in the country. It is impacting sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, friends and coworkers. And it is impacting our veterans and servicemembers. We have for over 16 years of war asked members of the active and reserve components to serve an unprecedented numbers of deployments, leaving too many veterans broken and in pain. When we needed these brave men and women to return to battle, it was too easy to prescribe opioids for … Continue Reading
11.06.17
Schumer, Leahy Lead Senate Democrats In Calling For Comprehensive Disaster Relief
WASHINGTON (Monday, Nov. 6, 2017) - Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) and Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) Monday lead Senate Democrats in calling on the Trump administration to put forward a comprehensive package to provide relief from the onslaught of natural disasters in recent months. The administration has committed to releasing such a package in the coming weeks. In a letter to Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney, Senat… Continue Reading